Praktica
Praktica, the successor of Zeiss Ikon, is mainly a camera brand name from Dresden, (eastern) Germany, long time the world's largest camera production location.
Praktica is already for some longer time the united sucessor of several international brands like Zeiss Ikon, Contax (this brand belongs to Zeiss today), Exakta, Pentacon and many more. The firm collapsed after the reunification of Germany in 1990 but now it is back onto market with several brands producing car industry products, 3D-LCD-screens and also still cameras and lenses under own and also for more known international brands.
One of the first inventions, which is still known today, of that firm was the roll film SLR camera in 1936. In the east block countries the firm´s products are more known than in the western world. They produce both, budget lenses (most times small, not very light strong and with slow autofocus but good in optical quality) and highest price products and also optical equipment for space programs of the US, Western Europe and the Russian Federation.
Older Company history
1969 PRAKTICA LLC is the first monocular miniature-mirror-reflex camera with electrical diaphragm simulation between interchangeable lenses and camera body (world novelity) by the VEB Pentacon (Dresden)
1965 PRAKTICA mat by VEB Pentacon Dresden is the first miniature-mirror-reflex-camera with TTL exposure measurement in Europe.
1959 Merger of the 'Dresdner Kamerabetriebe' (Camera Manufacturing of Dresden) to 'VEB Kamera- und Kinowerke Dresden' (VEB Pentacon Dresden since 1964)
1956 PRAKTICA FX2 by VEB Kamera-Werke Dresden-Niedersedlitz is the first miniature-mirror-reflex-camera with camera body inside releasing of diaphragm (world novelity)
1950 EXAKTA Varex by Ihagee Kamerawerk AG is the first monocular miniature-mirror-reflex-camera with interchangeable view-finder elements (world novelity)
1949 PRAKTICA monocular miniature-mirror-reflex camera with lens mounting M42x1
1949 Contax S: first monocular miniature-mirror-reflex camera with build in pentagonal prism viewfinder (world novelity) introduced by MECHANIK Zeiss Ikon VEB, at that time a 'state-owned' company.
1945 Heavy desctruction of the 'Dresdner Kamerabetriebe' (Camera Manufacturing of Dresden) through the bomb attacks on February, 13th/14th 1945
1936 Kine-Exakta: first monocular miniature-mirror-reflex camera (world novelity) introduced by Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen & Co.
1935 Contaflex: first binocular miniature mirror reflex camera with integrated exposure meter (world novelity) introduced by Zeiss-Ikon AG
1933 EXAKTA 4 x 6,5 introduced by Ihagee Kamerawerk Steenbergen & Co.
1926 Merging of four camera manufacturers from Dresden (e.g.. Ernemann AG und ICA AG) to Zeiss-Ikon AG becomes the biggest camera manufacturer in Europe with 3400 employees
1924 Objektive Ernostar 1:1,8 (world novelity) by Ernemann AG
1924 ER-NOX with objektiv Ernostar 1:2,0 (world novelity) by Ernemann AG
1923 Inauguration of the 48m high tower building of the Ernemann AG (see photography on the Pentacon GmbH page)
1919 Foundation of the camera shop of Benno Thorsch and Paul Guthe
1912 Foundation of the Industrie- und Handelsgesellschaft m.b.H., named Ihagee Kamerawerk GmbH since 1914
1906 The Hüttig-AG is becoming the biggest camera manufacturer in Europe with more than 800 employees
1903 The Ernemann-Kino (Kino=Cinema) uses 17,5mm One-hole-filmstripes for getting and displaying movies. The word Kino (cinema) has been born
1903 Bosco mirror camera for rolled films 9x9 by the Wünsche AG
1897/98 Foundationof the Aktiengesellschaft für Camera-Fabrikation Heinrich Ernemann in Dresden; Foundation of the Aktiengesellschaft für photographische Industrie Emil Wünsche in Dresden
1896 Zeus-mirror reflex camera with plate magazin as first monocolar mirror-reflex-camera from Dresden by the company Richard Hüttig & Sohn
1887 Foundation of the camera manufacturing Richard Hüttig in Dresden
See also: Zeiss Ikon
External link
Categories: Saxony | Photography